I just went and looked at a used Bell Magic canoe in black/gold layup.  It's in almost flawless condition except for one area.  On either side of the bow, the epoxy is starting to delaminate.  I passed on buying it for now, until I can figure out how big of a problem this is and how easy it would be to fix without any ugly patching.

by simply rubbing gently on this area, I dislodged a few small flakes of epoxy, or clearcoat or whatever it is.  There are tiny spots where all of the laminate has flaked away...like as big as a grain of rice at worst.

Other than this one spot, there's barely even a scratch anywhere on the canoe.  It's simply gorgeous everwhere else.

Here's what it looks like, on each side of the bow:

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What can I do to fix this, if I buy it?  How big of a headache would I potentially be buying?  

The canoe is about half the price of the retail for a brand new one.  1999 model.

Looks a little discolored too. Possible heat damage?

I'd still buy it and just deal with it. Sand down the smallest area possible and then recoat with epoxy. Your going to beat it up anyway.
I would make sure there is still structural integrity there or else you will be into a more significant repair.

You might consider sending your pictures to Northwest Canoe Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.  They specialize in repairing Bells.  They might give you a good idea of what you're in for.  

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prouboy

Hard to tell for sure from your photos, but my guess is that the canoe was touched up with spar varnish or (more likely) a spray on lacquer to cover up scratches and the boat is so smooth that the finish is flaking. Or perhaps epoxy was applied without the surface being roughed up enough. The fix is easy.  The magic is a great hull
Looks like a great boat and deal to me.

(though you are still welcome to borrow mine whenever you wish)

Hmmm, perhaps I wasn't clear enough.  These flakes are more than surface blemishes.  It's hard to tell from the picture but they go all the way down thru the clearcoat? epoxy? or whatever to the carbon fibers on the boat.  They are deep fractures.  It looks as if the entire patch is in grave danger of flaking away all the way down to carbon fibers.  That's my concern.  

I don't really care all that much about the cosmetic appeal.  This boat is going to get scratched up on the bottom after a single Q trip.

The owner either doesn't know or doesn't want to say what caused this to happen.  Looks to me like that end of the canoe might have been dropped during extreme cold...except there's no hint of damage anywhere along the stem anywhere.  Blunt force trauma to the side of the bow?  But then why is it on both sides?

Prouboy, your suggestion is a good one.  I will email Northwest Canoe and Bell both and see what they have to say.  Who knows, it may already be too late as I know this guy had other showings of the boat tonight.  Nevertheless, if I can convince myself the damage is repairable and/or not a hazard to the long-term structural integrity of the canoe, I'll grab it if it's still unsold.  I've never seen a used kevlar or carbon canoe in such immaculate condition other than these annoying patches.

I'd e-mail Bell and ask what they use originally. No scratches, hmmmm. Is it a vinylester resin cosmetic fix? Spar varnish wouldn't chip as it never really dries enough. Was that end near a light during storage? I'd ask the seller these questions and more. Local problem, fine. If the rest of the canoe will follow that pattern....

If the owner won't talk about it, I would be concerned about hidden damages elsewhere. No scratches...seems like he is being less than honest...

The owner is not a canoe country tripper.  He says he uses the canoe on metro area lakes exclusively (i.e. hardly any rocks to be found anywhere).  He's mere blocks from the south Mpls chain of lakes (Calhoun, etc.) so I tend to believe him.

The canoe has not been cosmetically retouched unless it was done by a stone cold expert.  I know enough to recognize a cover-up job when I see one.  This canoe is one-of-a-kind immaculate...save for the obvious flaws shown in the pics.

Any changes in tint or color in the area? It is unusual for factory resin to flake in just one area of a hull.

Could be exposure to sun light (a garage window?). You can repair it easily and nearly invisibly by roughing up the area, adding fiberglass cloth and resin and then sanding followed by polishing.  Sort of cap and seal method. The boat does look immaculate.

Here's what Northwest Canoe had to say about it:

Hi Dan -
Thanks for your inquiry. From the photos it looks like surface damage / delaminating clear gel coat. That's not structural and can be repaired for around $200-250, and be fixed it so the flaking doesn't return.
-Dennis Davidson
Northwest Canoe

That's kind of what I was hoping to hear.  Still not sure if I'll be able to strike an acceptable deal, but at least now I know how much to discount my offer for repair.

Snow_Dog -- I'm glad you connected with Northwest Canoe.  They're good.  They did some minor work on my Bell Northwind, and in the process, I got to see their operation.  Nothing fancy, just quality, and in the most unlikely location -- the very heart of St. Paul.  

It was important to me that the guys there not only were good at their craft of repairing canoes, but they also seemed to genuinely appreciate the north country these craft allow us to explore!

prouboy  

Snow-dog,

I suspect the damage you are seeing is from ultra violet light.  Epoxy is notorious for getting long-term damage from UV radiation.  But it takes a lot of it over time.  If the Bell was stored where only the bow was exposed to sunlight day after day, that may be what caused it.  The cloudiness is a tip-off to UV damage.  It will cause the epoxy to get very brittle and to chip / flake / delaminate.

Some manufacturers add UV inhibitors to the epoxy, others varnish over the epoxy with a spar varnish to protect it.  I do both on my wood strippers.

Sounds like you have a good potential fix with the guys Prouboy recommended... I would snatch that canoe up and have 'em fix it for you.  I'm looking at getting a damaged prism and fixing it for my own use right now.  The guy had a tree limb fall on it... cracked the gelcoat, cracked the kevlar layup, and bent the gunwales.  The fix will be ugly, but it will work fine and the price (free) is right!

WS